Chapter 725 Cao Liu, the fuse!
Xuzhou East China Sea.
Lozi Mansion.
The area of Huai and Si is quite different from Qingzhou.
On the attic cloud platform, Luo Qi looked north with his hands behind his back, stroking the geomancy map in his hand.
On the map was a map of the four states of Yan, Yu, Qing and Xu. It seemed as if the Central Plains was in his hands. He murmured in a low voice: "Xuzhou is easy to attack but difficult to defend. If we don't take back Qingzhou, we will eventually be destroyed.
However, Cao Cao and Jiangdong are eyeing Huai and Si, and it is so difficult to look north. Great Han, where is your chance of survival? "
Luo Qi was filled with sorrow.
Suddenly he heard hurried footsteps outside the house. He looked out and saw the housekeeper hurried in.
He knew it must be an urgent matter, so he hurried downstairs, opened the letter and looked at it, and was immediately shocked and said, "Yuan Shao declared himself king? Why didn't A Yan persuade him?"
Luo Qi was very shocked. Yuan Shao's declaration of kingship was almost cutting off his own path to becoming emperor.
Although he and Luo Yan serve different masters, they know each other well, and it is impossible for Luo Yan not to know.
But the facts were right in front of him. Luo Qi never expected that Yuan Shao would become king.
He rolled up the letter and put it in his sleeve, his face gloomy and he said inwardly: "Oh no, Ayan, Ayan, I didn't expect that you and I would face off so soon."
He turned to the butler and said, "Prepare the car immediately. I want to go see the master."
As the top figure among the Han royal family today, Liu Bei is an important support for Liu Xie's throne.
In the name of the imperial court, Cao Cao appointed Liu Bei as the second of the eight titles, General of Cavalry, on the grounds of Liu Bei's meritorious service in the campaign against Yuan Shu.
He was granted the title of Marquis of Tan County with a fief of 3,300 households.
He was given the power to manage the affairs of Qing and Xu.
The only positions Liu Bei could move up to were general and prime minister.
When Luo Qi hurried into the mansion, he saw Liu Bei pacing anxiously in the room, and everyone in the room was talking in a buzz.
When Liu Bei saw Luo Qi hurried in, he immediately came forward and said in a hurry: "Zi Qi, Yuan Shao has declared himself king. The Han Dynasty is in danger!"
The other people in the room also came over. Liu Ye and the others had their own opinions, but now they all stared at Luo Qi, wanting to hear his thoughts.
Luo Qi held Liu Bei's arm and walked into the room and sat down. Looking at the people in the room, Luo Qi slowly said, "My lord.
Do you know what Luo State has been doing during the Bang Zhou period? "
Everyone was stunned when they heard this.
What did Luo Guo do?
Support the Zhou royal family?
To continue the Zhou Dynasty’s national destiny?
Luo Qi did not wait for the crowd to answer but said: "Luo State has done many things, but in the final analysis, it is to maintain those rituals and music that can still be maintained.
The Zhou State prospered because of rituals and music, so the Luo State upheld rituals and music.
Bang Zhou prospered because of Ji Jiang, so Luo State protected Ji Jiang.
When rites, music, and Ji and Jiang collapsed, the Zhou state was destroyed.
And now?
Is there any difference when dynasties are about to fall since ancient times? "
The smart people have already guessed what Luo Qi wanted to say, and their eyes are shining brightly and full of energy.
Luo Qi said in a firm tone, "My lord, today Yuan Shao claims to be the king, and tomorrow someone else claims to be the emperor. When people are in turmoil and everyone claims to be alone, this is the future that my lord said the Han Dynasty will not exist.
Now we should raise a large army, destroy the false Zhao, proclaim the Han destiny, defend the Han family, and flatten Jizhou, so that the people of the world know that the Han Dynasty still exists!"
Destroy the false Zhao and flatten Jizhou!
Luo Qi's words hit everyone's heart like a heavy hammer.
Who is Lozi?
The eldest son of Marquis Ying of the Han Dynasty, his father was a role model for the world and one of the leaders of the scholars.
Where's Lozi?
The impression he left on everyone was that of a well-mannered scholar and a suave and elegant nobleman.
Now this noble young man has said such profound and murderous words, how can it not shock everyone?
Luo Qi's words touched Liu Bei's heart, but he immediately worried: "Is Yuan Shao too strong? That's nearly three states of land."
Luo Qi immediately said: "Emperor Gaozu beheaded a white horse and swore an oath that anyone who is not Liu will be king, and the whole world will attack him together.
Cao Mengde has now been promoted to Prime Minister and is in charge of government affairs. Could he allow Yuan Shao, who has declared himself king, to rule under the same sky as us?
If so.
What qualifications does Cao Mengde have to be the prime minister? Why not send the emperor to Tan County? What do you think, lord?"
As soon as Luo Qi finished speaking, Liu Bei immediately turned to Liu Ye and said, "Zi Yang, you are the most quick-witted among my subordinates. Are you willing to go to Xuchang and help me form a alliance with Cao Cao to fight against Yuan Shao?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Ye immediately clasped his fists and bowed, saying, "My lord, I will definitely fulfill my mission!"
Liu Bei was silent for a moment, then strode towards the outer courtyard, with Luo Qi and others following behind him.
Liu Bei pointed to the azure sky and said in a loud voice: "My lords, the world is now full of wolves. Whether the Han Dynasty can prosper depends on us.
Forge ahead!
The capital of the Han Dynasty was never in Xuchang, but in Luoyang. When one day we recover our country, we will raise the battle flag of the Yanhan again in Luoyang.
Work hard! "
…
Xuchang.
In this proper Han Dynasty court, Cao Cao reported to Liu Xie the news that Yuan Shao had proclaimed himself king in Hebei, and that the State of Yan had proclaimed itself emperor, openly opposing the Han Dynasty.
Liu Xie's face turned extremely pale, he paced in the palace and said angrily: "Yan Lin's wolfish ambitions are obvious.
Since I ascended the throne, Yuan Shao has not changed his evil nature, and now he has finally become a traitor to the Han Dynasty.
Prime Minister, send troops immediately to pacify Jizhou and kill Yuan Shao. I will exterminate all three of his clans!"
Hidden in Liu Xie's anger was an unconcealable fear. Whether it was the various Xia countries openly declaring themselves emperors or the princes of the Han Dynasty openly breaking the white horse oath and swearing to be kings, it made him feel that the crown of the Han Dynasty emperor on his head was not secure.
The king of a fallen country!
This word appeared in his mind involuntarily. For a king, is there anything more terrifying in the world than this word?
All the ministers in the palace were filled with righteous indignation, but these old ministers of the Han Dynasty still had some power.
Especially since there were certain princes such as Liu Bei, Zhou Cang, and Liu Biao outside to provide support, Cao Cao did not treat Liu Xie too harshly.
He has no qualifications to bully his master, unless he wants to be disgraced and disgraced like Li Jue and Guo Si.
Facing Liu Xie's angry words, Cao Cao spoke in a powerful voice, saying in a deep voice: "I accept your order. Now I will announce it to all the princes of the world to fight against Yuan Shao together!"
Liu Xie came back to his senses from the fear of Yuan Shao claiming to be king, and then they both heard the sound of horses coming from outside, and a voice from afar came in, "Your Majesty, General of the Cavalry, Marquis of Tan Liu Bei Liu Xuande wrote a letter!"
Here we come!
Liu Bei!
A very complicated look flashed across Liu Xie's eyes, including envy, gratitude, and jealousy. The complexity of his feelings towards Liu Bei was simply beyond words.
…
Liu Ye stepped into the palace, holding Liu Xuande's memorial in his hand, and said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, I am ready to submit a memorial.
Emperor Gaozu cut a white horse as a pledge of allegiance, that whoever other than Liu should be king should be attacked by the whole world.
Today, Yuan Shao broke his oath. If the imperial court does not attack him, how will the imperial court demonstrate its authority?
If Yuan Shao was not conquered, what would happen if the other princes in the world claimed to be kings?
I, Liu Bei, a descendant of Emperor Gaozu, feel deeply saddened by this.
Please, Your Majesty, send out the heavenly troops as soon as possible to attack Yuan Shao and revive the Han Dynasty!"
Even if it was essentially an alliance between Cao and Liu.
But on the surface, Liu Bei, a minister, naturally could not form an alliance with Liu Xie, an emperor.
Liu Ye didn't know that the court had just discussed this matter. Just as he was about to say something, he saw Liu Xie stand up and say loudly: "Tan Hou is indeed the backbone of my Liu family. I once heard that in the late Qin Dynasty, Emperor Fusu praised Zhang Han as the white jade pillar that supports the sky. Now Tan Hou is the white jade pillar that supports the sky of my Han Dynasty.
"I would like to ask Zi Yang to report back to the Marquis of Tan. I will issue an edict to order all the princes in the world to fight against Yuan Shao and defend the Han Dynasty."
Liu Xie's words were full of pride and confidence. Seeing that Liu Xie was pretending, Cao Cao shut up and did not slap him in the face.
Liu Ye glanced at Cao Cao, then looked back at Liu Xie. With his intelligence, he naturally knew what had happened, so he stopped talking.
…
The tenth year of Jian'an.
An imperial decree was issued from the court in Xuchang and sent to all the major princes in the world.
“Ancient sages once said that when the country is in turmoil, it is possible to see who are the ministers who can do something.
Ancient sages once said that only when a country is in danger can we see who the truly loyal ministers are.
During the 300 years of the Han Dynasty, how many rebellious people had there been?
Dong Zhuo was executed for causing chaos in the world, but he had not yet broken the White Horse Oath.
To what extent was Yuan Shao rebellious?
He usurped the throne and trampled underfoot Emperor Gao and all the great heroes of the Han Dynasty. Can such behavior be forgiven?
I think it is not possible.
As a subject of the Han Dynasty, we should obey the imperial edict to suppress the rebellion and defend the Han country.
I was extremely angry, so I issued this imperial decree.
Inform the princes of the world.
Conquer Hebei and destroy Yuan Shao.
Just like the defeat of Yuan Shu, all those with great merit will be made marquises! "
…
Both Cao Cao and Liu Bei made their attitudes clear, which was to join forces to attack Yuan Shao.
You, Ji, Qing, Xu, Yan and Yu, the six states are about to start a war again!
After receiving the imperial edict, the governor of Henei felt his scalp tingling. In the war among the gods, a small shrimp like him would be easily affected, but he had no choice but to take side. After much hesitation, he chose to temporarily obey the order of the court and mobilize the army to join forces with Cao Cao.
The order spread southward.
It spread to Yangzhou.
Luo Chu put away the imperial edict in front of the Jiangdong officials and said to Zhang Zhao and Zhou Yu with a smile: "The Han Emperor has issued an edict, and since we are Han officials, we must obey the edict and leave Yangzhou.
Zi Bu, you come and prepare the food and fodder needed for the army. Our province knows that the harvest in Jiangdong has been poor in recent years, so we will give you five years. You must make sure to complete all the preparations.
Gongjin, you come to recruit warriors from Jiangdong. Yuan Shao's army is strong. He is recruiting 500,000 troops to go to Yang. This state will also give you five years. You must bring all the bravest warriors from Jiangdong to the battlefield.
The rest of you, assist Zibu and Gongjin, do you understand?"
Jiangdong officials could not help laughing at Luo Chu's words, but they had received professional training and naturally would not laugh out loud. They all bowed and said in a deep voice: "As you command!"
Luo Chu said to the imperial envoy calmly: "Please ask the envoy to report to your majesty and the prime minister that Jiangdong will do its utmost to attack Yuan Shao. He claimed to be king without permission. The spirit of Emperor Gao will punish him. This state believes in the cycle of justice. He will die one day.
Ziyu, send the envoy out of Jiangdong and make sure that His Majesty knows the sincere desire of the people of Jiangdong to serve their country."
Zhuge Jin suppressed his smile and came before the imperial envoy, saying in a clear voice, "Your Excellency, please."
As soon as the imperial envoy left, deafening laughter broke out in the hall, and it seemed that it would overturn the dome of the entire palace.
Qiao Wei smiled and said with some concern: "Sir, Jiangdong is openly slapping the court in the face. Will anything serious happen?"
Lu Su laughed out loud and said, "Mr. Qiao is really worrying too much.
Now that Yuan Shao has proclaimed himself king, this is the court's top priority. How can they have the time to pay attention to our disrespectful actions?
It is better to say that now is a great opportunity for Jiangdong.
Cao Cao and Liu Bei led their armies northward, leaving Huai and Si empty. Isn't this a good time to seize the foundation of the kingship?"
Zhang Hong's eyebrows jumped when he heard this and said, "Isn't this a secret alliance with Yuan Shao? Yuan Shao claimed to be a king and openly rebelled against the Han Dynasty."
Lu Su disagreed and said, "All of you in the palace are old officials from Jiangdong. I think if any of you really wanted to revive the Han Dynasty, you wouldn't be standing in the palace now, right?"
The officials of Jiangdong looked at each other without saying anything. Lu Su didn't care and continued to sell his theory, saying loudly: "Yuan Shao had no choice but to establish the State of Zhao.
But the independence of the princes is the general trend.
Unless Cao Cao and Liu Bei can pacify the chaotic princes in the Central Plains with lightning speed and unify the Central Plains.
But how difficult is that?
Now Jiangdong controls the three counties of Jiangxia, Lujiang and Jiujiang, as well as Yuzhou and Xuzhou, all of which are within the range of our sword. Taking advantage of Liu Bei's weakness, we will seize Huai and Si, then attack Jingzhou and control the entire section of the Yangtze River.
You can attack when you advance and defend when you retreat.
Great undertakings can be accomplished!"
Lu Su's theory of Jiangdong hegemony is quite famous in the small circle of Jiangdong.
He is an honest man, but he is an honest man with a very long-term strategic vision and a rare talent among the Jiangdong forces.
Lu Su had spoken about the theory of hegemony in front of Luo Chu many times in different ways, but today Luo Chu suddenly thought of something.
The more he thought about it, the more horrified he felt. Luo Chu couldn't even control his expression. He asked the officials of Jiangdong, "Everyone, do you think Cao Cao and Liu Bei knew what Zi Jing just said?
If Cao Cao and Liu Bei knew about this, what would they do? "
quiet!
Deathly silence!
Even Lu Su, who was talking just now, fell silent in an instant. He opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
What Luo Chu proposed was too terrifying if you just think about it.
Jiangdong has the natural barrier of the Yangtze River to rely on, and as long as the upper reaches of the Yangtze River are not occupied, it is not afraid of the northern army.
But what about the three counties in Jiangbei?
Will Cao Cao and Liu Bei join forces to divide up the three counties north of the Yangtze River first?
Luo Chu stood up from the main seat and walked slowly outside the hall. He thought again and again, and slowly said: "Cao Cao and Liu Bei are both heroes with long-term vision.
Yuan Shao and themselves are each other's biggest enemies.
Before defeating Yuan Shao, neither of them will attack Jiangdong, but they will definitely look for other forces to tie us down.
for example.
Liu Biao! "
Luo Chu's voice echoed in the hall, and all the officials of Jiangdong frowned.
…
The development of the matter was beyond Luo Chu's expectations, or he was only half right. The court was indeed preparing to let Liu Biao check and balance Luo Chu, but it did not trust Liu Biao's ability.
Cao Cao's ultimate advisers calculated the threat level of Jiangdong and ultimately concluded that it was second only to Liu Bei. Once Cao, Liu, and Yuan Shao went to war, Jiangdong would pose a fatal threat to Huaisi and Runan.
So Cao Cao joined forces with Liu Bei's army and led the army to the outskirts of Jiangxia County. Zhao Hong, the prefect of Nanyang, and Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou, who received the imperial edict, also led their troops to besiege Jiangxia County.
“The court appointed the emperor’s brother-in-law as the governor of Jiangxia. This is to force Jiangdong to cede Jiangxia County in order to cut off Jiangdong’s tentacles extending to Jingzhou, Yuzhou, and Xuzhou!
If we lose Jiangxia County, it will be extremely inconvenient for us in Jiangdong to develop towards Jingzhou and Huaisi. The most important thing is that after losing Jiangxia, Lujiang and Jiujiang will be exposed to the threat of Runan County. "
Facing the sudden threat, Luo Chu frowned tightly. This kind of alliance was really hard to guard against.
This was originally a method that should have been used against Yuan Shao, but now it was used on himself, which really made him feel flattered.
Luo Chu now feels like the kings of the Bang Zhou period, who had swallowed the city but had to spit it out again.
Because other countries united, they had no choice but to cede those things that did not belong to them.
This is the case with Jiangxia County.
The imperial court assigned Jiangxia County to the Jingzhou Provincial Administration because it was within Jingzhou and could balance the other states. His taking away Jiangxia County broke this balance.
He did not have the strength to establish a new balance, so he encountered this very embarrassing situation.
Zhou Yu said in a deep voice: "Sir, as long as we defeat the navy of Jingzhou, it will be no problem to defend Jiangxia. The cavalry that is invincible in the Central Plains is not of much use in the Jiangdong area with its numerous waterways."
Zhou Yu believed that he was not bragging. He was really confident that he could defend Jiangxia. Perhaps the casualties would be heavy, but he would definitely make the imperial army hit a wall here.
It will let them know that the Jiangdong Iron Wall is not so easy to break through.
But Luo Chu shook his head and said, "Gongjin.
You are an extremely good commander, but don't let your talent for leadership overwhelm your wisdom.
When looking at a problem, we should not use a static perspective to calculate the gains and losses of a city or a place, but we should look at the overall situation and see the gains and losses of the world.
No matter how many tactical victories there are, they cannot cover up strategic failures. Just like the process of King Xiang and Emperor Gao fighting for the world, King Xiang was wrong from the beginning, so his death in the end was a foregone conclusion. "
Zhou Yu and others did not expect that Luo Chu actually wanted to give up Jiangxia County. They only heard Luo Chu say with a little emotion: "I just figured out why Cao and Liu came to Jiangxia County with such a big show.
Because Jiangxia County is like an extremely sharp dagger, and it is directly against the vital points of Cao and Liu.
The reason why Cao and Liu were allowed to do so before was because they had armor that could defend against daggers at vital points, so they were unable to cause any harm to the two of them.
But what about now?
If both of them took off their armor to deal with Yuan Shao, Jiangxia County would become a thorn in their throats and a dangerous place that could cost their lives.
If they don’t break this dagger, they won’t be able to fight Yuan Shao to the death.”
Luo Chu's words had become very clear by this point, and the Jiangdong officials were also stunned with a sense of sudden realization.
Jiangxia County is more important to Cao and Liu than Jiangdong thought!
Zhou Yu could not help but ask: "Aren't Cao Cao and Liu Bei worried that I will never give in to Jiangdong?
They have lost too much strength in Jiangdong, how can they fight against Yuan Shao?"
Lu Su sighed and said, “Cao Cao and Liu Bei knew that Jiangxia County was not that important to Jiangdong.
Moreover, Cao Cao and Liu Bei do not actually occupy Jiangxia, and even Liu Biao does not actually occupy Jiangxia. This place will temporarily become a co-managed area and a no-man's land.
This is an outcome that all parties can accept.
In the end, we in Jiangdong will definitely give up Jiangxia County, allowing Cao Cao and Liu Bei to fight Yuan Shao with peace of mind in order to consume the strength of the Central Plains.
This is an open conspiracy!"
Lu Su is truly a master of strategy. With just a few hints from Luo Chu, he was able to describe the entire court's plan.
…
Flags covered the sky.
There were big flags with Chinese characters on them, and then big flags with the word Cao and Liu, and there were also flags with the official titles of Cao Cao and Liu Bei written on them.
Below these flags were smaller ones, which were the flags of generals who had the power to lead an army alone.
No one could count how many troops there were.
"Everyone, don't pass by!"
"Xingsheng Dahan!"
"The Prime Minister will go first, and will surely be able to conquer Hebei, and Jiangdong will follow soon."
As they said goodbye one after another filled with false enthusiasm, these elite troops slowly marched northward, leaving Runan and Jiangxia and heading for the real northern battlefield.
In Jiangxia County, the Jiangdong army was also slowly evacuating from here by boat. Luo Chu looked at the river and the waves crashing against the shore, and he was excited for a moment.
On the bank of the river.
Liu Biao laughed loudly at Luo Chu and said, "Master Chu, I never thought that the Jiangxia County you worked so hard to obtain would be lost like this. It's really embarrassing."
For Liu Biao, today was a good day to vent his anger for being snatched away by a tiger.
Luo Chu was not angry at Liu Biao's ridicule, but laughed loudly and said, "Liu Jingsheng, do you know that when you draw a bow and shoot an arrow, the further you pull the bowstring back, the more powerfully the arrow will move forward?
Today, the Jiangdong army left Jiangxia County. When it enters Jingzhou again the next day, what it wants is not only Jiangxia, but also Nanyang and Nanjun.
If that day ever comes, you, Liu Jingsheng, will probably have no choice but to go take a bath in the Yangtze River, as there will be no place for you to stay in Jingzhou.
I heard that some people call you a guard dog. Which house are you guarding?
Could it be a household from Jiangdong?"
Luo Chu's level of sarcasm was top-notch. As soon as he finished speaking, all the Jiangdong officials on the ship burst into laughter. Naturally, Liu Biao was so angry that his nose was crooked.
He grabbed the bow and arrow, drew the bow and said angrily: "Master Chu, prepare to die!"
The arrow fell limply into the river, not even reaching the bow of the boat, causing another round of laughter.
Sun Ce was extremely jealous when he saw that Liu Biao was his enemy. When he saw that Liu Biao dared to shoot an arrow, he immediately drew his bow and shot an arrow. The arrow was strong and full of murderous intent. Huang Zhong, who was standing beside Liu Biao, split the arrow with a knife.
The big ship from Jiangdong sailed away with the wind and waves!
————
The incident of the Prince of Yan and Zhao was the direct fuse of the Second Sino-Zhu War. When Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Liu Bei stepped onto the battlefield, no one would have thought that this was just the beginning. ——"History of Wars in the Late Eastern Han Dynasty"
(End of this chapter)
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